Iberico pork chops with potato purée and greens
These simple pork chops are served with a cognac and white wine sauce and make a great option for Sunday lunch.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 pig’s trotter, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- ½ carrot, peeled and diced
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 75ml/2½fl oz cognac
- 125ml/4fl oz white wine
- 1 litre/1¾ pints good-quality chicken stock
- ½ banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp capers, finely chopped
- 2 tsp cornichons, finely chopped
- 2 dill sprigs, finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard
For the potato purée
- 250g/9oz King Edward potatoes, peeled and chopped into even-sized pieces
- 75ml/2½fl oz double cream
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 50–75²µ/1¾–2¾´Ç³ú butter
- pinch salt
For the pork chops
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 Iberico pork chops
To serve
- handful leafy greens (such as kale, chard, cavolo nero)
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Spread the chopped pig's trotter out in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 30–40 minutes until nicely caramelised.
To make the sauce, heat the grapeseed oil in a large saucepan and sweat the carrot, onion, celery and garlic for 10 minutes. Add the pig’s trotter and cook for another 10 minutes, then deglaze with the cognac and white wine and reduce by half. Add the stock and cook until reduced and thickened. Strain the sauce through a sieve set over a bowl. Add the shallot, capers, cornichons, dill and chives to the sauce and then stir in the mustard. Set aside and keep warm.
To make the potato purée, place the chopped potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, then bring to the boil and cook for 15–20 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, combine the double cream and garlic clove in a small saucepan and gently warm to infuse.
Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then mash them or pass them through a potato ricer. Add the cream and butter to the mashed potatoes in a bowl and mix to combine. Season with the salt.
To make the pork chops, check the oven is still at 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Heat a frying pan until hot, then add the olive oil and fry the pork chops on both sides until nicely caramelised. Transfer to a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 4 minutes. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Whilst the pork chops are resting, gently wilt the leafy greens in a saucepan for a few minutes until tender.
To serve, carve the pork chops and serve alongside the mashed potatoes and greens. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chops and serve immediately.
